1. It’s Canada Day – So I lift a tasty beer in a Northerly direction – cheers to Rebecca & Brian, and all the brewers and beer folk in Canada. I’ve spent one Canada Day at least in Canada – it’s all good, eh!

Here’s a good post by Amy. She’s right on on several points. One of my favorite excerpts:

“Educate your staff about beer. I don’t care if they all hate beer; if you have it on tap, your staff should know what it is. They should be able to describe a Kölsch and how Schlafly’s compares to Reissdorf’s. That goes for your wine selection as well. There’s no reason I should hear “ummm… let me go ask” when I ask about a new beer on tap and what it is. Sell me your products!!”

Education is one of the easiest, most efficient, highest return aspects to your business you can do well. Research tells me this over and over and over…

What are you waiting for?

5 minutes, 2 minutes, 2 hours. Start where you can (although this should have been part of your basic business plan) and get to it. You will reap rewards – happier more competent staff selling more beers to happier more educated customers spending more money on your beer more often. Brew. Repeat.

This article is a classic example of what is happening at an alarming rate.

I’ve been reading such news via the BA and find it disturbing. Local Business are the heart and core of a community. Europe and the UK are way better at some things – having local pubs without alarmism is one of them.

Local businesses – pubs included – support, employ, provide a connection, offer space to those who are engaged in staying close to where they have chosen to call home.

Since I conduct research on women & beer, I’d throw out this offer:

Looking for a brewer or pub group to simply pay my expenses to come to the UK and conduct research into how women can possibly help reverse this trend (lower percentage drinking beer in the UK – teens % wise – than the USA = 25%).

I only wish I could get their beers when I live. SIGH. Guess I’ll have to chalk that up as a reason to travel to them…even if I have to wait for the Great American Beer Festival this September (I’ll be in Denver again for it this year.)

The great thing about that is Colorado is jam packed with great beers.

This post covers the story of IPA well – India Pale Ale. It’s a great fun educational opportunity – which women have told me, indirectly and directly over and over and over is important in purchasing habits and developing buying patterns.

When you educate, you create knowledge, you create buy in and buy of (your beers).

Host an IPA event – no “ladies night” though – that’s a no no. Please – women or females.

First remember – I am a huge enthusiast. I’m also not the one you need to convince to drink beer, craft or otherwise. (drop any expert mentality here too please)

Calling your beers ‘Craft’ beers means nothing to most peo0ple; certainly most of the women I have talked to not in the industry. Sure, some have a vague idea of what it may infer. Most have no clue as to what it specifically means.

So what does that mean for craft brewers? It screams of opportunity.

So here is a HUGE educational opportunity. Educate your consumers, your supporters, your patrons on what Craft Beer means to you – if you promote your beers as craft.

Keep in mind most things that are made period are crafted in some fashion. (between the lines = don’t tear something else down to build your goods up)

Don’t be a snob, be a geek. Getting women to drink beer altogether is progress. Getting them to learn what craft beer is – is next and then go from there.

Over and over and over in focus groups I conduct women have no real idea of what the craft label means – it is primarily an industry and existing enthusiast/beer geek term. Fine – just make sure you are sharing the definition liberally and non condescendingly.

The great thing to promote for canned beer is that the planet benefits more – recycled aluminum cans take 95% less energy to recycle, are lighter weight (good for shipping and transporting therefore reducing emissions), and are acceptable to pack in/pack out to outdoor enthusiasts.

Use these pieces of information to help promote canned beer. Women will respond.

While I like green chili, white chili, red chili – I LOVE chili beers. The kind that have a great aroma, a great flavor, and don’t burn your tongue off. The last time I had one, and I neglected to write down the brewery and name, was at the GABF a year or more ago. I can tell you that I’ve had a good one at Coopersmiths in Fort Collins before too.

I’d love to hear about more chili beers. Who’s got one they recommend? Are you a brewer who makes one? A chili beer lover who can suggest one? A home brewer who has had success with a good CB in the past?

As a specialty tryer, this is one for sure I’m attracted to.

Women in general like to try different, new, seasonal varieties –

Good for the consumer (something to expand the mind and palete)

Good for the brewers (something fun and different to experiment with or make)

And good for the economy (gets people out there partaking of that ever present affordable luxury we know as beer.

The kicker = specialties and seasonals will get new people – people who have never tried your beers before – in your doors. Why? Because the flavors you create and then market (the key here) will get the curiosity meter dinging….Plus (yes there’s more) women like to try things and recommend them to friends. Big time.

Did you get to enjoy Savor this past weekend? Unfortunately I was not there (this year) – hoping to go next year.

Beer awareness and de-demonizing beer is a good battle I plan to continue to help fight.

Beer – just like one bad snowmobiler, one bad teacher or one bad apple – is not the devil. It’s the one ‘baddie’, not the whole group. Over the years people have come to blame beer as a scape goat. Untrue. (Look instead to the corrupt sheepherder.)

Indeed, we all need to take FULL responsibility for our own actions, and the consequences of those actions.

Savor, I believe, is all about raising awareness that beer is a premium, affordable luxury. That, incidentally and happily, helped America grow and thrive.

Granted, I don’t know of any good stereotypes…Generalizations are different. Stereotypes set up backwards, thwart progressive thought and hinder forward movement.

Plus small minds have always ticked me off. They tend to be narrow, selectively ignorant and mean spirited.

In any event, Allegra McEvedy is right on per this Times Online. Sent to me be the very fortitudinous and sharp RhondaKallman (co founder of Boston Beer).

“McEvedy, a keen drinker of Guinness, feels very comfortable holding a pint. ‘The stereotypes around beer annoy me and get my back up. It is a fantastically crafted drink, but the most important aspect of it is taste and environment. I like to drink Sagres lager, London Pride, Guinness in winter, or Doom Bar beer in Rock in Cornwall. All of these have wonderful flavours — just like a glass of wine.’ ”

She’s English and the women there drink a much smaller proportion of beer in the UK (13% vs. American Women at 25%+).

Message du jour: get past stereotypes, in fact – throw them out, out, out!!! You only do yourself a disservice, never mind the victim of the stereotype.

Jeri, a good friend and mutually enthusiastic beer drinker told me this after our WEB ACBW event with Dave Coy.

“Thanks for the Mai Bock Beer tasting the other night… it was just great. Additionally, I can tell you that it really has changed my perspective on pale colored beers. I actually even voluntarily drank some (name irrelevant) lager this weekend, without scowling and whining. ~ Jeri”